by J. C. Fields
Peering through the basement window, he saw an unfinished room with an old washer and dryer against one wall left of a staircase. On the other side of the stairs was a wood paneled wall with a closed door three feet from the bottom stair. Moving toward the back of the house, he could see a blue flickering light in a back window. As he got closer, the muffled sound of a television was discernable through the walls of the house. Carefully, he backed up to a point where he was out of the glow from the window, but could see in. A man in his mid-thirties sat in front of the TV drinking a beer. He was slender, dark skinned, with black, stringy hair. Kruger guessed his nationality as either from Southeast Asia or the Pacific basin. On the side table next to him was a cell phone and an automatic pistol.
A rustling sound could be heard in the yard to his left. As the sound grew louder, a large mixed breed dog poked its large head through the bushes next to the chain link fence. Kruger stood still and watched the dog as it backed away from the fence and moved further down to another opening in the hedge. The dog continued to move further away, so Kruger went back to watching the man in the window.
When the dog started barking furiously, Kruger retreated further into the shadows of the backyard. The man in the chair, got up, grabbed the pistol and came to the back door. He opened it, stepped out to the wooden back porch, and stood listening. Shaking his head, he yelled, “Shut up, stupid dog.”
Kruger smiled. It was the voice from the cell phone calls. He stood in the darkness as the man yelled several more times for the dog to stay quiet. The man remained on the porch until the dog grew silent, then stepped inside the house, and closed the door.
Waiting until the man settled back into the chair before moving, Kruger silently crept through the shadows until he was beside the wooden porch. Carefully, he put his foot onto the bottom step. As he added weight, the board did not squeak. Satisfied, he climbed the remaining two steps. With his Glock 19 in his right hand, he grasped the door knob with his left hand and slowly turned it. It was unlocked. Looking through the door’s glass pane, he could see it opened into a small mud room with a door slightly ajar leading to a kitchen. Kruger opened the door to the mud room, being careful not to let the hinges squeak. Once inside, he glanced into the kitchen area through the open door. Far to the left of the kitchen, he could see the flickering light of the television and the back part of the chair where the man sat. He opened the door wider and prepared for his next move.
He rushed through the kitchen, keeping his eye on the man sitting in the chair. As he emerged, the man’s eyes grew wide and stared at him. Kruger trained his Glock on the man. “Keep your hands where I can see them.” The man sat still with his hands resting on his legs. “Where are they?”
A perplexed look turned to anger. “How did… How did you find me?”
Kruger moved closer to the man. “Where the hell are they? You’ve got five seconds.”
The man continued to study Kruger. The dog next door started barking louder than before. The staring contest continued until a crazed smile came to the kidnapper’s face and his eyes narrowed. He made a fast grab for his gun just before Kruger shot him above his left eye. The man’s head snapped back as blood and gray matter spread over the cloth of the cheap easy chair. Shaking his head, he grabbed the man’s gun, secured it in his belt next to his back and placed the phone in his back pocket. Quickly locating the stairs to the basement, he ran down two at a time to the closed door. It was locked. He stood back and kicked it with his right foot. The jamb shattered and the door flew back and banged into a wall. Inside the room Kruger saw Stephanie huddled on the floor holding Kristin. Stephanie looked defiantly at him as Kristin whimpered, snuggled in her arms.
At first, Stephanie didn’t recognize Kruger with the blackened face and watch cap. Shock and anger changed to relief as she realized who it was. She stood and rushed into his arms. “I knew you would find us.”
Kruger took Kristin in his left arm and held Stephanie in his right arm. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
He quickly led them up the stairs and back to the kitchen. Kristin’s head was buried against her father’s shoulder and Kruger held her so she would not see the carnage sitting in the chair. Stephanie looked at the man with the bullet hole above his left eye. She kicked his leg violently and screamed, “I hope you burn in hell, motherfucker.”
Kruger frowned. While justified, it was the first time to hear his wife say anything remotely similar. He decided it would be a topic for a later conversation.
Kruger stopped just before they entered the kitchen, glanced around, saw what he was looking for and pointed at it.
“Steph, grab that.”
She bent over to pick up his spent bullet casing and handed it to him. He stuck it in his right jeans pocket and hesitated. He turned back to the chair and used his cell phone to take a picture of the man in the chair. With this accomplished they hurried through the kitchen.
As they approached the back door, Kruger glanced out. Not seeing anyone being curious about the noise, he took a breath. “I think the dog barking might have masked the sound of the gun shot. Let’s hope so.”
Exiting the house through the back door, he hurried them around to the front and down the street to his Mustang. Even though numerous dogs were barking furiously throughout the neighborhood, no one yelled at him or turned a porch light on to check the commotion.
Fifteen minutes later they were on 435 heading south. During this time Stephanie held Kristin and remained silent, staring out the front windshield of the Mustang. Finally she turned to look at him. “How’d you find us so fast?”
“JR.”
She nodded. “Remind me to give him a hug.”
“We’re going to his place, not home. I’ve got to get you and Kristin to a safe location.”
Kristin was asleep in her mother’s arms, seat belts and child seats forgotten. Stephanie faced the front window almost in a hypnotic stare and silence dominated the interior of their car again. Finally Kruger took a quick glance at her. “I’m going to find him, Steph.”
She looked at him. “What do you mean? You shot the man.”
“No. Bishop’s involved. The man who kidnapped you was hired by Bishop. My failure to arrest him six years ago was the biggest mistake of my life. I have to find him and take him down. It’s the only way our family will ever be safe.”
She looked at her husband, started to say something, but remained quiet. She returned her attention to the front windshield. Finally after several moments, she nodded.
Chapter 31
Springfield, MO
It was just after four in the morning when Kruger parked the Mustang next to the main entrance of JR’s building. JR, Mia, and Joseph were waiting for them. Mia helped Stephanie with Kristin and escorted them into the building.
Joseph examined Kruger’s face, still black with the shoe polish. “Shoe polish… Really?”
“Necessity demanded improvisation.”
“I’m going to enjoy watching you get it off.” Joseph grinned.
His mood grim, Kruger stared at his old friend. “It worked and that’s all that matters.”
Nodding, Joseph started walking to the door of building. “JR’s made progress while you were driving, and I’ve got several friends watching this place. You’ll be safe until we get you three moved.”
“Thanks, Joseph.” Kruger took a deep breath. “I’m not taking Steph and Kristin back to the house until its back to normal. I don’t want her to see what Bishop did.”
It took several minutes to get Kristin settled in a spare bedroom on the third floor of JR’s building. Mia closed the door and went to the kitchen to make coffee. Stephanie followed, allowing the three men some time alone.
“I’ve been able to isolate Bishop’s Virgin Mobile number,” JR was standing at the top of the staircase. “He’s west of St. Louis at the moment.”
No one spoke for several minutes. Kruger stood, went to his duffel bag and retrieved the cell phone
taken from the house. He handed it to JR. “The kidnapper had this on him.”
JR popped the back cover off, stared at it for several seconds, and pried the battery out with his fingernail. Smiling, he eased the SIM card out and held it up like a trophy. “This is good. I can get phone numbers off this, check on who the guy was calling and who called him.”
Kruger sighed, “I’d better call the Kansas City police department and leave a tip about the house.”
Joseph shook his head. “Not necessary.”
“Why?”
“It’s taken care of.”
Kruger looked at Joseph and blinked several times. After a few moments the meaning of what he heard registered. He nodded. “Did you find out anything about him?”
“Not much. We know his name, Mufliha ben Amal, went by the name, Ben.”
Kruger stood and started pacing. “Muslim?”
Joseph nodded slightly. “Malaysian Muslim to be exact. He’s known to the Kansas City police as a part-time pimp and drug dealer. Your bureau thinks he’s a member of Jemaah Islamiyah.”
Kruger stopped pacing and turned to his old friend. “They think?”
Joseph nodded.
“The person Bishop called in Taiwan, is he aligned with this Jemaah Islamiyah?”
Joseph shrugged. “We don’t know who he is calling. But, the group Amal claims allegiance to is aligned with ISIS.”
Turning to JR, Kruger asked, “Can you dig into this a little further?”
JR nodded.
“I’m not up to speed on Jemaah Islamiyah.” Kruger stared pacing again. “The Bureau’s current thinking is Bishop spent most of his time overseas in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. What if this whole takeover of Stephen Bishop and artificial intelligence scam was to provide funding?”
Joseph shook his head. “Don’t know, maybe.”
“After the sale of Blair’s company and the ninety million he has pledged in the scam, we’re talking real money, Joseph. Way over a two hundred million.”
“Still…” He paused, checked his watch and continued. “Let’s find out more about this Mufliha character before we start jumping to conclusions. JR, do you have anything else on him?”
Nodding, JR motioned for them to follow as he walked back down the stairs.
Once he was sitting in his cubicle, he started reading from his computer screen. “He’s been arrested several times for petty thief, possession with intent to distribute, and running a few girls on Troost Avenue. The KCPD didn’t considered him a big time pimp, just a nuisance. I doubt there will be too many tears shed. The house is owned by a large investment group and rented out by a property management company.” JR switched his attention to the adjacent screen. “I found employment documents for him in the management company’s computer. He’s listed as a part-time maintenance man, he mows lawns. I’m guessing he probably knew the house was vacant.”
Kruger’s eyebrows rose. “What about the house? There could be evidence left behind from Stephanie and Kristin’s presence?”
Joseph shook his head and gave Kruger a grim smile. “No, not really.” Joseph looked at his friend. “They weren’t there long enough, and the KCPD will have no reason to check the house because Amal can’t be linked to it.”
Kruger studied his old friend. “Why?”
“Because he and the chair are no longer at the house.”
“Should I ask how you accomplished that?”
“You can ask…”
Nodding, Kruger understood. “But, you won’t tell me.”
Joseph gave him a blank stare.
“Then it never happened.”
With a slight nod, Joseph smiled. “Not unless you tell the Bureau.”
Stephanie came into the living room, said nothing, and sat on the sofa next to Kruger. She yawned and put her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his right arm around her. He yawned immediately. “Adrenaline’s wearing off.”
***
Stephanie was still snoring softly when Kruger woke at eleven. Disorientated at first, the presence of Kristin between them brought him back to reality. JR’s guest bedroom. Kristin was curled up next to her mother. He rose, put on his jeans and the black t-shirt, and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. As he brushed, he stared at his face in the mirror. Blood shot eyes with dark circles underneath stared back at him. The gray in his hair was more pronounced, and his skin retained an ashen tint from the shoe polish.
In the mirror, he saw Stephanie stagger into the bathroom, her eyes barely open. She wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head against his back. “Sorry about last night. I never thought it would happen. All those years of you pounding into my head on how to protect myself, and I forgot everything.”
He twisted around in her embrace and put his arms around her. “Don’t blame yourself. I should’ve been there for you.”
“I’ve been a bitch the last couple of weeks, I’m sorry.”
“No, you haven’t. I’ve been gone too much.”
He could feel her head shaking. “No… it’s something else.”
Frowning, he pushed her away from his chest and looked into her eyes. “What?”
“I’m pregnant.”
“How… I thought you couldn’t… Are you sure?” He pulled her to his chest and hugged her tightly.
“My doctor confirmed it Monday. I was going to tell you, but with all the commotion with this Bishop thing, I never found the right time. I’m scared, Sean. I want the baby to be healthy.” A tear slid down her cheek. “What if I’m too old?”
“Nonsense, you’re healthy and take good care of yourself. You’ll do fine.”
“That’s what my doctor said, but she didn’t say it with…” She didn’t finish her sentence.
He took a deep breath and looked down at her. She stared up at him, tears in the corners of her eyes growing heavy. They stood in the embrace for several minutes. “I probably need to reevaluate my arrangement with the Bureau.”
Surprisingly, she nodded.
***
While she took a shower, he lay next to the still sleeping Kristin. He placed his hands behind his head as he lay on the pillow staring at the ceiling. Too many thoughts swirled in his mind as he tried to prioritize his next steps. He couldn’t leave Stephanie and Kristin alone again. She needed calm for the next eight months. But Bishop had to be stopped. .
Kruger heard the shower stop and watched as Kristin opened her eyes, saw him, giggled, smiled, and stretched. Her blues eyes sparkled and her long blond hair was disheveled from a restless night. He hugged her. “Good morning, sleepyhead.” She giggled again and sat up. When she saw Stephanie step out of the bathroom, she squealed with delight. Stephanie was dressed only in a bra and panties with her hair wrapped in a towel. The little girl reached up and laughed as Stephanie scooped her up and held her, their hug lasting longer than usual.
Kruger watched as mother and daughter embraced each other. Guilt and envy swept over him as he realized his numerous absences of late were preventing the bonding between him and his daughter. He smiled, but there was very little joy in the smile. Stephanie said to Kristin, “I bet you’re hungry, let’s go see if we can find some breakfast for you.”
It was close to noon when they emerged from the bedroom. Stephanie still wore the robe she borrowed from Mia, and Kruger remained barefoot. As they entered the living room, Kruger saw a large man sitting on a sofa reading a newspaper. When the man heard them enter the room, he stood and smiled.
“Good morning, sir.”
Kruger smiled. “When did you get back, Sandy?”
“Early this morning. I enjoyed meeting Brian and Michelle. Thank you for the opportunity.”
Kruger shook the man’s hand. “Thanks for going up there on such short notice.”
Sandy Knoll nodded toward several suitcases and a duffel bag on the floor next to a love seat across from where he stood.
“We went by your house this morning, secured it, and brought a few things for
you and your family.” He reached down to the sofa, picked up an object, and handed it to Kruger. “I found this in your duffel. Thought you might need it.”
Kruger stared at his FBI ID billfold, the one he placed in his duffel bag the night before. Silently, Kruger nodded and took the folded wallet. He cleared his throat and turned to Stephanie. “Excuse my manners. Stephanie, this is Major Sandy Knoll, he’s a good friend of Joseph’s.”
Stephanie was holding a shy Kristin, whose face was buried in her mother’s neck and hair. “Nice to meet you, Sandy. Excuse me, this little girl is hungry.”
She retreated toward the kitchen, and the two men watched her go. When she was out of the room, Sandy turned back to Kruger. “I have a man on your house, plus several securing this building.”
Kruger smiled grimly, “Thanks.”
Sandy nodded and remained quiet.
JR appeared at the top of the steps leading to the second floor, he saw Kruger and Knoll. “You both better come downstairs I’ve found something.”
Chapter 32
Columbia, MO
Randolph Bishop cursed under his breath as he bit into an apple and stared at the ancient tube-style TV. It was going on twenty-four hours since Amal last answered his phone. Numerous calls to the man’s cell phone went straight to an automated announcement telling him the phone’s voice-mail was not set up. With no way to leave Amal a message, Bishop’s frustration level increased by the minute. Now the idiot had missed three scheduled check-in times. The only reason Bishop could surmise for Amal’s silence was he’d been caught, or he was dead.
